How to Help Guests Socialize at Your Wedding
Weddings are celebrations filled with joy and energy to mark the start of your new chapter. But it’s hard to feel festive if your guests are yawning and checking the time! For many couples, it’s as if worlds collide at their wedding. College roommates, childhood friends, third cousins, grandparents — everyone comes together to honor your love, but things can get a bit awkward when nobody knows each other.
Encouraging socialization on your big day turns your wedding into a party. Beyond the pretty decor and delicious food, you can enjoy seeing your favorite people celebrating as one. Picture your work bestie taking your flower girl niece for a spin on the dance floor or your great-uncle sharing a beer with your new brother-in-law. As you form an official union with your partner, your wedding merges your families into one.
Of course, you don’t have time to oversee introductions on your wedding day. You have bigger things to do! However, with some careful planning, you can design a celebration that inspires camaraderie and togetherness among your loved ones. Try these five strategies to help your guests connect and engage with one another.
Host a pre-wedding celebration
Since weddings are often formal events, loosening up and interacting with new acquaintances can be difficult. Instead of waiting until the big day, let your guests get to know each other in a more casual setting where they can leave behind the high heels and neckties.
“If your guests have interacted at a shower, brunch, engagement party, etc., they will recognize more people at the event and feel more social,” promises Nora Sheils of Rock Paper Coin and Bridal Bliss. “The more pre-parties, the better!”
So, if you want your guests to feel surrounded by old friends at your wedding, don’t hold back on the pre-wedding events. Consider hosting a welcome party after the rehearsal dinner to kick off the festivities early!
Start with the ceremony
Traditional ceremony seating doesn’t support mingling, which can make for an awkward cocktail hour if everyone sticks to themselves.
Twickenham House and Hall’s Sarah Jobe recommends “forgoing the traditional ceremony seating by picking a side of the wedding party” to encourage people to introduce themselves and sit alongside unfamiliar people.
“Letting guests choose their seats or be ushered to both sides of the aisle creates opportunities to meet new faces and connect with guests before the ceremony,” she says.
You can also get creative with unique ceremony layouts, like seating guests in a circle around the altar or creating mini lounge areas with settees, benches, or even picnic blankets to share.
Get people on their feet
It’s hard for guests to socialize if they’re stuck in their seats, so give them reasons to get up and move around the venue. While you’ll no doubt see traffic around the bar, adding a few other interactive elements can keep people busy and engaged with one another.
Katy Padilla of Scarlet Rose Events suggests starting with cocktail hour since you’ll need your guests to entertain themselves while you’re taking portraits with the wedding party.
“Provide things to do like cornhole or a photogenic backdrop,” Padilla says. “Any element, whether a game or photo booth, will have your guests cruising through cocktail hour and thrilled for what is to come during the reception.”
During the reception, consider skipping the traditional plated dinner and opting for a more immersive culinary experience. “Choosing food and beverage items that your guests have to take part in some way will get them to talk to others while getting food and drinks,” assures Jamie Chang of Mango Muse Events.
Think food trucks, build-your-own bars, and carving stations. “By strategically placing stations in various spots in the space, it will automatically get your guests to move and meet others they might not have,” Chang says. Plus, interactive stations allow guests to customize their food and drinks to suit their tastes!
Mix up the seating chart
It makes sense to seat guests who know each other at the same tables, right? While it might seem like a simple concept, people tend to stick with who they know, which can limit socialization during the reception.
Instead, mix up your table assignments to encourage guests to interact with people they otherwise wouldn’t approach. Your besties can catch up in the group text, so there’s no need to sit them all together!
Julianne Smith of The Garter Girl elaborates, encouraging couples to “avoid placing too many family and friends together who already know each other! Consider a mix of family, friends, and acquaintances at each table.”
If you’re worried about awkwardness, let it go and trust that your guests can handle it. “Dinner is only 90 minutes of a 6-hour event,” reminds Cathy O’Connell of COJ Events. “Seat them with people you think they might have a connection with, and sit back and see what happens!”
Once the meal ends, your guests can hit the dance floor and chat with whoever they want. So, don’t be afraid to push them to socialize with unfamiliar faces during dinner!
Help them break the ice
Go the extra mile by providing activities that open up conversations and help your guests get to know each other. Jobe says it’s as simple as setting out “table topics for dinner conversation and lawn games to create organic gathering grounds for socialization.”
Or, if you want to get creative, Chang offers a fun idea: handing out name tags!
In particular, she recommends “name tags with an interesting tidbit about the person, which gives people an excuse to go around reading other people’s name tags and then sparking conversations based on what is shared.” You can either come up with fun facts based on your relationship with each guest or request it on your RSVP cards.
All you have to do is create a setting that sparks conversation and encourages people to get up and move around. From there, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy seeing your loved ones find common ground while celebrating your love!
Meghan Ely is the owner of wedding PR and wedding marketing firm OFD Consulting. Ely is a sought-after speaker, adjunct professor in the field of public relations, and a self-professed royal wedding enthusiast.